Electronic device including touch screen display, interface method using the same, and computer-readable storage medium storing the same

ABSTRACT

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an interface for controlling a display of a plurality of layers on a touch screen display includes displaying, on a touch screen display of the device, a main display layer and at least one sub display layer, detecting an object-down event at a first position within the main display layer, detecting an object-dragging event at a second position within the main display layer, and moving the main display layer along a movement direction from the first position to the second position, wherein at least one of the at least one sub display layer is displayed to be pulled to the movement direction in accordance with the movement of the main display layer.

This application claims the benefit of the Korean Patent Application No.10-2010-0069123, filed on Jul. 16, 2010, which is hereby incorporated byreference as if fully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an electronic device including a touchscreen display and an interface method using the same and, moreparticularly, to an electronic device including a touch screen displayand an interface method using the same that perform operationsassociated with a detected touch, when a touch is detected.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

Recently, the display technology depicting and displaying 3-dimensional(3D) images is being extensively researched and developed and applied ina variety of fields. Most particularly, electronic devices applying thetechnology of displaying 3D images so as to display 3D images, haverecently been drawing a great deal of attention.

The technology of displaying 3D images refers to a display technologyusing a parallax (or difference) in stereoscopic perspectives enabling aviewer to volumetrically view (or see) the displayed image due to theparallax (or difference) in both perspectives. Herein, the 3D displaytechnology may be categorized into a shutter glass display method, anon-glasses display method, a real 3D display method, and so on. Morespecifically, the shutter glass display method is disadvantageous inthat the viewer is required to be equipped with a separate device, suchas putting on a separate pair of polarized 3D glasses. And, thenon-glasses display method is disadvantageous in that the viewer canview the displayed 3D images only at a specified location. Accordingly,since diverse disadvantages exist in the shutter glass display methodand the non-glasses display method, extensive development of the real 3Ddisplay method is currently in progress.

Additionally, the recent electronic devices are being developed to havea slimmer structure in order to enable the users (or viewers) tore-position (or re-locate) their display devices with more convenience,and the recent electronic devices are being developed so as to beequipped with an input device, such as a touch pad or a touch screen,for a more convenient manipulation of the electronic device. In therecently developed electronic devices, when the touch pad or the touchscreen is touched, the respective operations may be performed. Herein,such operations may correspond to selecting particular items from thedisplay screen. Furthermore, such operations may include paging (i.e.,turning pages), scrolling, panning, zooming, and so on.

In the touch pad, the motion of an input pointer corresponds to arespective movement of the user's finger, when the user's finger moves(or slides) along the surface of the touch screen. Conversely, a touchscreen corresponds to a type of display screen having a touch-sensitivetransparent panel covering the display screen. When using the touchscreen, (generally by using a stylus pen or his (or her) finger) theuser directly points to a graphic user interface (GUI) object from thedisplay screen, thereby selecting the corresponding GUI object.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to an electronic deviceincluding a touch screen display and an interface method using the samethat substantially obviate one or more problems due to limitations anddisadvantages of the related art.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronicdevice including a touch screen display and an interface method usingthe same that cause an optical illusion of viewing a 3-dimensional imagefrom a 2-dimensioanl display.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronicdevice including a touch screen display and an interface method usingthe same that can enable the user to conveniently select a variety ofdisplay screens.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronicdevice including a touch screen display and an interface method usingthe same that can enable the user to conveniently select a specific menuwhile viewing a displayed image.

A further object of the present invention to provide a computer-readablestorage medium that stores a program for executing the interface methodusing the electronic device including a touch screen display.

Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will beset forth in part in the description which follows and in part willbecome apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art uponexamination of the following or may be learned from practice of theinvention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may berealized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in thewritten description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with thepurpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, inan aspect of the present invention, in a method being performed by anelectronic device including a touch screen display, an interface methodincludes the steps of includes displaying a main display layer and atleast one sub display layer on the touch screen display, wherein themain display layer is positioned at a center of a display screen, andwherein the at least one sub display layer is positioned at a side ofthe main display layer, detecting an object-down event at a firstposition within the main display layer, detecting an object-draggingevent at a second position within the main display layer, and moving themain display layer along a movement direction from the first position tothe second position, and pulling at least one of the at least one subdisplay layer in accordance with the movement of the main display layer.

Preferably, the pulled sub display layer may correspond to a sub displaylayer positioned in a direction opposite to the movement direction ofthe main display layer.

Herein, the interface method may further include detecting an object-upevent at a third position within the main display layer, and stoppingthe movement of the main display layer in response to detecting theobject-up event.

Preferably, the at least one sub display layer may be displayed so thatthe main display layer can appear to be positioned at a deeper end ofthe display screen.

Preferably, the at least one sub display layer may be displayed so thata width of the at least one sub display layer can be decreased along adirection facing into the main display layer.

Preferably, the at least one sub display layer may be respectivelypositioned at an upper-side, a lower-side, a left-side, and a right-sideof the main display layer.

Preferably, one of the at least one sub display layer may display abroadcast image of at least one channel.

Preferably, one of the at least one sub display layer may displayinformation associated with contents being displayed on the main displaylayer.

Preferably, one of the at least one sub display layer may display a chatwindow.

To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with thepurpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, inanother aspect of the present invention, in a method being performed byan electronic device including a touch screen display, an interfacemethod includes the steps of displaying a main display layer and atleast one sub display layer on the touch screen display, wherein themain display layer is positioned at a center of a display screen, andwherein the at least one sub display layer is positioned at a side ofthe main display layer, detecting an object-down event at a firstposition within the at least one sub display layer, detecting anobject-up event at a second position within the main display layer, andchanging the sub display layer positioned at the first position and themain display layer.

Preferably, the at least one sub display layer may be respectivelypositioned at an upper-side, a lower-side, a left-side, and a right-sideof the main display layer.

Preferably, one of the at least one sub display layer may display abroadcast image of at least one channel.

Preferably, one of the at least one sub display layer may displayinformation associated with contents being displayed on the main displaylayer.

Preferably, one of the at least one sub display layer may display a chatwindow.

To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with thepurpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, inyet another aspect of the present invention, an electronic deviceincluding a touch screen display includes a touch screen displayconfigured to display a main display layer and at least one sub displaylayer on the touch screen display, wherein the main display layer ispositioned at a center of a display screen, and wherein the at least onesub display layer is positioned at a side of the main display layer, anda controller is configured to detect an object-down event at a firstposition within the main display layer, to detect an object-draggingevent at a second position within the main display layer, and to movethe main display layer along a movement direction from the firstposition to the second position, and to pull at least one of the atleast one sub display layer in accordance with the movement of the maindisplay layer.

Preferably, the at least one sub display layer may be displayed so thatthe main display layer can appear to be positioned at a deeper end ofthe display screen.

Preferably, the at least one sub display layer may be displayed so thata width of the at least one sub display layer can be decreased along adirection facing into the main display layer.

Preferably, the at least one sub display layer may be respectivelypositioned at an upper-side, a lower-side, a left-side, and a right-sideof the main display layer.

Preferably, one of the at least one sub display layer may display abroadcast image of at least one channel.

Preferably, one of the at least one sub display layer may displayinformation associated with contents being displayed on the main displaylayer.

Preferably, one of the at least one sub display layer may display a chatwindow.

Preferably, the pulled sub display layer may correspond to a sub displaylayer positioned in a direction opposite to the movement direction ofthe main display layer.

Preferably, the controller detects an object-up event at a thirdposition within the main display layer and stops the movement of themain display layer in response to detecting the object-up event.

To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with thepurpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, inyet another aspect of the present invention, an electronic deviceincluding a touch screen display includes a memory configured to storeat least one program, and a processor configured to execute the at leastone program. Herein, the touch screen display may display a main displaylayer and at least one sub display layer on the touch screen display,the main display layer being positioned at a center of a display screen,and the at least one sub display layer being positioned at a side of themain display layer. Herein, the at least one program may includeinstructions for detecting an object-down event at a first positionwithin the main display layer, instructions for detecting anobject-dragging event at a second position within the main displaylayer, instructions for moving the main display layer along a movementdirection from the first position to the second position, andinstructions for pulling at least one of the at least one sub displaylayer in accordance with the movement of the main display layer.

To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with thepurpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, in afurther aspect of the present invention, a computer-readable storagemedium having stored therein instructions, which when executed by anelectronic device including a touch screen display, cause the electronicdevice: display a main display layer and at least one sub display layeron the touch screen display, wherein the main display layer ispositioned at a center of a display screen, and wherein the at least onesub display layer is positioned at a side of the main display layer,detect an object-down event at a first position within the main displaylayer, detect an object-dragging event at a second position within themain display layer, and move the main display layer along a movementdirection from the first position to the second position, and pull atleast one of the at least one sub display layer in accordance with themovement of the main display layer.

Since the electronic device including a touch screen display and theinterface method using the same according to the present inventiondisplays multi display layers by arranging each of the multi displaylayers in a volumetric layout, the present invention may provide anoptical illusion of viewing a 3-dimensional (3D) display through a2-dimensional (2D) display. Additionally, by moving and pulling displaylayers in accordance with the movements of a detected touch, the usermay be given the impression of manipulating the electronic devicethrough a 3D display. Furthermore, since the positions of the multidisplay layers can be easily changed and moved, the user may be able toconveniently select and view the wanted (or desired) screen. Finally,since the user can immediately select a wanted menu displayed on anotherdisplay layer, while viewing a previously selected image, the user maybe capable of selecting a wanted menu more conveniently and morequickly.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an interface forcontrolling a display of a plurality of layers on a touch screen displayincludes displaying, on a touch screen display of the device, a maindisplay layer and at least one sub display layer, wherein the maindisplay layer is positioned at a center area of the touch screendisplay, and wherein the at least one sub display layer is positioned ata side of the main display layer; detecting an object-down event at afirst position within the main display layer; detecting anobject-dragging event at a second position within the main displaylayer; and moving the main display layer along a movement direction fromthe first position to the second position, wherein at least one of theat least one sub display layer is displayed to be pulled to the movementdirection in accordance with the movement of the main display layer.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an interface methodfor controlling a display of layers in a device includes displaying, ona touch screen display of the device, a plurality of layers including amain display layer and at least one sub display layer, wherein the maindisplay layer is positioned at a center area of the touch screendisplay, and wherein the at least one sub display layer is positioned ata side of the main display layer, detecting an object-down event at afirst position of the touch screen display within a first layer of theplurality of layers, detecting an object-up event at a second positionof the touch screen display within a second layer of the plurality oflayers, and changing a display state depending on locations of the firstand second positions, wherein the first layer is different from thesecond layer.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an electronicdevice includes a touch screen display configured to display a maindisplay layer and at least one sub display layer, wherein the maindisplay layer is positioned at a center area of the touch screendisplay, and the at least one sub display layer is positioned at a sideof the main display layer, and a controller configured to detect anobject-down event at a first position within the main display layer, todetect an object-dragging event at a second position within the maindisplay layer, and to move the main display layer along a movementdirection from the first position to the second position, wherein atleast one of the at least one sub display layer is displayed to bepulled towards the movement direction in accordance with the movement ofthe main display layer.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description of the present invention areexemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide furtherexplanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention andtogether with the description serve to explain the principle of theinvention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a block view showing a structure of an electronicdevice according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 a to FIG. 2 c respectively illustrate exemplary screens eachhaving multiple display layers displayed thereto;

FIG. 3 a to FIG. 3 c respectively illustrate other exemplary screenseach having multiple display layers displayed thereto;

FIG. 4 illustrates process steps of an interface method moving (orre-positioning) a main display layer according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 5 a to FIG. 5 c respectively illustrate exemplary screens showingthe process steps of the interface method moving (or re-positioning) themain display layer according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates process steps of an interface method shifting asub-display layer to a main display layer according to an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 7 a to FIG. 7 c respectively illustrate exemplary screens showingthe process steps of the interface method shifting the sub-display layerto the main display layer according to the embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 8 illustrates process steps of an interface method shifting a maindisplay layer to a sub-display layer according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 9 a to FIG. 9 c respectively illustrate exemplary screens showingthe process steps of the interface method shifting the main displaylayer to the sub-display layer according to the embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 10 illustrates process steps of an interface method moving (orre-positioning) a graphic user interface (GUI) object between displaylayers according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 11 a to FIG. 11 c respectively illustrate exemplary screens showingthe process steps of the interface method moving (or re-positioning) agraphic user interface (GUI) object between display layers according tothe embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be usedthroughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

In addition, although the terms used in the present invention areselected from generally known and used terms, some of the termsmentioned in the description of the present invention have been selectedby the applicant at his or her discretion, the detailed meanings ofwhich are described in relevant parts of the description set forthherein. Furthermore, it is required that the present invention isunderstood, not simply by the actual terms used but by the meanings ofeach term lying within.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block view showing a structure of an electronicdevice according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the electronic device 100 according to the presentinvention includes a tuner 110, demodulator 120, a network interface130, a signal processor 140, a display 150, an audio output unit 160, aninput device 170, a storage 180, and a controller 190. Herein, theelectronic device 100 may correspond to a personal computer system, suchas a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a handheldcomputer, and so on. Additionally, the electronic device 100 may alsocorresponds to a portable device, such as a mobile phone, a smart phone,a digital broadcasting equipment (or terminal), a personal digitalassistant (PDA), a portable multimedia player (PMP), a navigationsystem, and so on, or may correspond to a fixed electronic householdappliance, such as a digital television (DTV) receiver.

Among a plurality of radio frequency (RF) broadcast signals beingreceived through an antenna, the tuner 110 selects an RF broadcastsignal respective to a channel selected by the user (or viewer). Then,the tuner 110 converts the selected RF broadcast signal to anintermediate frequency (IF) signal or a baseband video or audio signal.For example, if the selected RS broadcast signal corresponds to adigital broadcast signal, the tuner 110 converts the selected signal toa digital IF (DIF) signal. And, if the selected RF broadcast signalcorresponds to an analog signal, the tuner 110 converts the selectedsignal to an analog baseband video or audio signal (CVBS SIF). Morespecifically, the tuner 110 may process digital broadcast signals oranalog broadcast signals. The analog baseband video or audio signal(CVBS SIF) outputted from the tuner 110 may be directly inputted to thesignal processor 140.

Furthermore, the tuner 110 may also receive single-carrier RF broadcastsignals according to an advanced television system committee (ATSC)method or multi-carrier RF broadcast signals according to a digitalvideo broadcasting (DVB) method.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the electronicdevice 100 may be provided (or equipped) with at least 2 tuners. Whenthe electronic device 100 is provided with at least 2 tuners, just as afirst tuner, a second tuner selects an RF broadcast signal respective toa channel selected by the user (or viewer), among a plurality of radiofrequency (RF) broadcast signals being received through an antenna, thetuner 110. Then, the second tuner converts the selected RF broadcastsignal to an intermediate frequency (IF) signal or a baseband video oraudio signal.

Additionally, among the received RF broadcast signals, the second tunermay sequentially select TS broadcast signals of all broadcast channelsstored through a channel memory function, thereby converting thesequentially selected RF broadcast signals to intermediate frequency(IF) singles or baseband video or audio signals. The second tuner mayperiodically perform the conversion procedures of all broadcastchannels. Accordingly, the electronic device 100 may display the imageof the broadcast signal converted by the first tuner and maysimultaneously provide images of broadcast signals respective to severalbroadcast channels converted by the second tuner in the form ofthumbnail views. In this case, the first tuner converts the main RFbroadcast signal selected by the user to an IF signal or a basebandvideo or audio signal. And, the second tuner may sequentially and/orperiodically select all of the RF broadcast signals, with the exceptionfor the main RF broadcast signal, thereby converting the sequentiallyand/or periodically selected signal to an IF signal or a baseband videoor audio signal.

The demodulator 120 receives the digital IF (DIF) signal converted bythe tuner 110 so as to perform the demodulation procedure. For example,in case the digital IF signal outputted from the tuner 110 correspondsto an ATSC type signal, the demodulator 120 performs an 8-vestigial sideband (8-VSB) demodulation procedure. In another example, if the signaloutputted from the tuner 110 corresponds to a DVB type signal, thedemodulator 120 performs a coded orthogonal frequency divisionmodulation (COFDMA) procedure.

Moreover, the demodulator 120 may also perform channel-decoding. Inorder to do so, the demodulator 120 may be provided with a trellisdecoder, a deinterleaver, a Reed-Solomon (RS) decoder, and so on, so asto perform trellis decoding, deinterleaving, and Reed-Solomon (RS)decoding.

After performing the demodulation and channel-decoding processes, thedemodulator 120 may output a stream signal (TS). At this point, thestream signal may correspond to a multiplexed signal having a videosignal, an audio signal, or a data signal multiplexed therein. Forexample, the stream signal may correspond to an MPEG-2 transport stream(TS) consisting of an MPEG-2 standard video signal multiplexed with aDolby AC-3 standard audio signal multiplexed. More specifically, theMPEG-2 TS may include a 4-byte header and a 184-byte payload.

The stream signal outputted from the demodulator 120 may be inputted tothe signal processor 140. The signal processor 140 performsdemultiplexing and signal processing procedures on the inputted streamsignal. Thereafter, the signal processor 140 outputs the video data (orvideo signal or image) to the display 150 and outputs the audio data (oraudio signal or sound) to the audio output unit 160.

Furthermore, in case of a digital broadcast receiver provided with atleast two tuners, the digital broadcast receiver may be provided with anumber of demodulators corresponding to the number of tuners providedtherein. Also, the demodulators may each be separately provideddepending upon the ATSC type and the DVB type.

The network interface 130 receives data packets that are received from anetwork and also transmits data packets to the network. Morespecifically, the network interface 130 receives IP packets that deliverbroadcast data from a service provider through the network. Herein,broadcast data refer to contents, update messages notifying whether ornot contents have been updated, metadata, service information data,software codes, and so on. Also, service information may include serviceinformation on real-time broadcast services and service information oninternet services. Herein, internet services refer to services that canbe provided via the internet, such as CoD (Content's on Demand)services, YouTube services, information services including weatherforecasts, news, regional information, search services, and so on,entertainment services including games, karaoke services, and so on, andcommunication services including TV mailing services, TV SMS (ShortMessage Services), and so on. Accordingly, in the present invention,digital broadcast receivers include network TVs, web TVs, and broadbandTVs. Also, broadcast services may include broadcast services beingprovided via groundwave (or terrestrial), satellite, and cable and mayalso include internet services.

The controller 190 executes commands and performs operations associatedwith the electronic device 100. For example, by using a command searchedfrom the storage 180, the controller 190 may control the input andoutput of data between the components of the electronic device 100 andmay also control data reception and data processing. Herein, thecontroller 190 may be realized in the form of a single chip, multiplechips, or a plurality of electric assembly parts. For example, varioustypes of architecture such as an exclusive or embedded processor, asingle-purpose processor, a controller, an ASIC, and so on, may be usedfor the controller 190.

Along with an operating system, the controller 190 executes a computercode and performs operations of generating (or creating) and using data.An operating system is generally disclosed, and, therefore, a detaileddescription of the operating system will be omitted for simplicity. Forexample, the operating system may correspond to any one of a Windows OS,Unix, Linux, Palm OS, DOS, Android, and Macintosh, and so on. Theoperating system, another computer code, and data may exist within thestorage 180, which operates in connection to the controller 190.

The storage 180 generally provides a space for storing program codes anddata that are used by the electronic device 100. For example, thestorage 180 may be realized in the form of a Read-Only Memory (ROM), aRandom Access Memory (RAM), a hard disk drive, and so on. Program codesand data may exist in a detachable storage medium. And, when required,the program codes and data may be loaded or installed to the electronicdevice 100. Herein, the detachable storage medium may include a CD-ROM,a PC-CARD, a memory card, a floppy disk, an electro-magnetic tape, anetwork component, and so on.

The display 150 may operate in connected with the controller 190. Thedisplay 150 may correspond to a liquid crystal display (LCD) (e.g., anactive matrix LCD, a passive matrix LCD, and so on). In another example,the display 150 may also correspond to a monitor, such as a monochromedisplay, a color graphics adapter (CGA) display, an enhanced graphicsadapter (EGA) display, a variable graphics-array (VGA) display, a superVGA display, a cathode ray tube (CRT), and so on. The display 150 mayalso correspond to a plasma display or to a display that is realized byan electronic link.

The display 150 may display a graphic user interface (GUI) 153, whichprovides an interface that can be easily and conveniently used betweenthe user of the electronic device and the operating system, or betweenthe user of the electronic device and an application that is currentlybeing executed within the operating system. Herein, the GUI 153expresses programs, files, and operation options in the form of graphicimages. More specifically, a graphic image may include a window, afield, a dialog box, a menu, an icon, a button, a cursor, and a scrollbar. Such graphic images may be aligned in accordance with a pre-definedlayout or may be dynamically generated (or created) in order to assiston (or help) specific measures taken by the user of the electronicdevice. During the operation, in order to execute functions andoperations associated with various graphic images, the user may selectand activate a specific graphic image. For example, the user may selecta button for opening, closing, minimizing, or maximizing a window, orthe user may select an icon executing (or driving) a particular program.

The input device 170 may correspond to a touch screen positioned on thedisplay 150 or in front of the display 150. Herein, the touch screen maybe formed as a single body with the display 150, or the touch screen maybe provided as a separate component. In case the touch screen isprovided as a single body with the display 150, the touch screen mayalso be referred to as the display. As the touch screen is installed infront of the display 150, the user may directly manipulate (or maneuver)the GUI 153. For example, the user may simply put his (or her) finger onthe object that is to be controlled. In case of a touch pad, suchone-to-one (1:1) correspondence cannot be provided.

In case of using a touch pad, the touch pad is spaced apart from thedisplay 150 and positioned in a different plane. For example, thedisplay 150 is generally is positioned on a vertical plane, and a touchpad is generally positioned on a horizontal plane. This structure leadsto a less intuitive usage of the display 150 and the touch pad.Accordingly, in comparison with the usage of a touch screen, the usageof a touch pad is more difficult and inconvenient. In addition to beingconfigured of a touch screen, the input device 170 may also correspondto a multipoint input device.

The controller 190 may recognize (or detect) a gesture 171 being appliedto the input device 170, thereby being capable of controlling theelectronic device 100 based upon the detected gesture 171. Herein, agesture may be defined as a conventionalized interaction between theuser and the input device 170, wherein the gesture is mapped to at leastone or more particular computing operations. More specifically, thegesture 171 may be diversely performed by the hand of the user and, moreparticularly, by the movements of the fingers. As an alternative to thefinger movements, or in addition to the finger movements, a gesture maybe performed by using a stylus pen. Hereinafter, an item that produces(or causes) the gesture 171 may be referred to as an object.

The input device 170 receives the gesture 171, and the controller 190executes the commands for performing the operations associated with thegesture 171. Furthermore, the storage 180 may include a gestureoperation program 181 that may be a part of the operating system or apart of a separate application. The gesture operation program 181generally includes a series of commands notifying at least one or moresoftware agents of how to recognize the occurrence (or generation) of agesture 171, of what measure(s) to take with respect to the recognizedgesture 171 and/or in response to the recognized gesture 171.

When the user makes one or more gestures, the input device 170 deliversthe respective gesture information to the controller 190. Then, by usinga command language (or command) and, more particularly, by using thegesture operation program 181 from the storage 180, the controller 190interprets the gesture 171, thereby controlling different components ofthe electronic device 100, such as the storage 180, the display 150, theaudio output unit 160, the signal processor 140, the network interface130, and the input device 170. The gesture 171 may be identified ascommands performing the operations from the application stored in thestorage 180, correcting the GUI object shown (or displayed) on thedisplay 150, correcting the data stored in the storage 180, performingoperations of the signal processor 140, and so on. For example, suchcommands may be associated with zooming, panning, scrolling, turningpages, rotations, size adjustments, image channel changes, contentsreception, internet connection, and so on. Additionally, for example,the commands may also be associated with driving (or executing) aspecific program, opening a file or document, seeing a menu, selecting amenu or option, executing a command, logging-on (or signing-in) to aninternet site system, authorizing access of a certified individual to alimited area within the computer system, loading a user profileassociated with the alignment of icons within the wallpaper according tothe user's preference, and so on.

A wide variety of different gestures may be used. For example, a gesturemay include a single point gesture or a multipoint gesture, a static ordynamic gesture, a continuous or segmented gesture, and so on. Morespecifically, a single point gesture corresponds to a gesture performedby a single contact point. For example, the single point gesture isperformed by a single touch made by a finger or a palm of the user or bya stylus pen. A multipoint gesture corresponds to a gesture that can bemade of multiple points (or contact points). For example, the multipointgesture may be made of multiple touches, such as touches made by severalfingers, one or more fingers and the palm, one or more fingers and thestylus pen, multiple stylus pens, or by a combination of at least two ofthe above. A static gesture corresponds to a gesture that does notinclude any movement. Furthermore, a continuous gesture corresponds to agesture made of a single stroke, and a segmented gesture corresponds toa gesture consisting of a sequence of separate steps or strokes.

Generally, the contact between the object and the touch screen aplurality of different patterns. For example, within the touch screen,the single point gesture includes an object-down event followed by anobject-up event, which is performed at the same point or approximatepoint of the object-down event. Within the touch screen, the dynamicgesture includes an object-down event followed by at least oneobject-dragging event, which is then followed by an object-up event.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, a parameter fordescribing processes of a finger approaching the touch screen display,the finger contacting the touch screen display, and the finger movingaway from the touch screen display, is used. This parameter maycorrespond to at least one function among a distance between the fingerand the touch screen display, a pressure of the finger touching thetouch screen display, a contacting area between the finger and the touchscreen display, a voltage between the finger and the touch screendisplay, a capacitance between the finger and the touch screen display,and other physical parameters.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, depending uponthe size of a parameter (e.g., capacitance) between the finger and thetouch screen display, when this specific parameter exceeds a pre-decidedthreshold value, the object-down event occurs. And, while this specificparameter exceeds the pre-decided threshold value, when the position ofa cursor corresponding to the position of the finger moves from point Ato point B, the object-dragging event occurs. Thereafter, when theparameter falls below the pre-decided threshold value, the object-upevent occurs.

FIG. 2 a to FIG. 2 c respectively illustrate exemplary screens eachhaving multiple display layers displayed thereto.

Referring to FIG. 2 a to FIG. 2 c, at least one display layers 210, 211,212, 213, and 214 are displayed on the display screen. One display layermay correspond to one screen. Herein, an image received from one channelmay be displayed, and at least one window may be displayed on onedisplay layer. More specifically, the user selects one display layerfrom the plurality of display layers displayed on the screen, so thatonly the one selected display layer can be displayed on the screen.

The display layer 210 positioned at the center of the display screen isreferred to as a main display layer, and the display layers 211, 212,213, and 214 positioned beside the main layer are referred to as subdisplay layers. Herein, the sub display layers 211, 212, 213, and 214are displayed so that the main display layer can appear to be positionedat a deeper end of the screen. More specifically, the sub display layers211, 212, 213, and 214 are positioned at all sides of the main displaylayer so that the screen can be shown as a volumetric space.Accordingly, the main display layer can appear to be positioned at thedeeper end of the display screen facing into the user.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the sub displaylayers 211, 212, 213, and 214 may be displayed to face into the maindisplay layer 210, wherein the width of each sub display layer becomesnarrower so as to display a volumetric effect. Accordingly, the user maybe under the illusion of looking inside a box. Thus, the electronicdevice 100 may provide the user with an optical illusion of viewing athree-dimensional (3D) image.

The sub display layer 211 located at the left-side of the main displaylayer 210 displays broadcast programs of multi channels. The user mayselect a specific broadcast program among the many broadcast programsbeing displayed from the sub display layer 211, so that the selectedbroadcast program can be displayed on the main display layer 210.

The sub display layer 212 located at the upper-side of the main displaylayer 210 displays detailed information on the broadcast program that isbeing displayed.

The sub display layer 213 located at the right-side of the main displaylayer 210 displays a chat window. This sub display layer 213 may displaymultiple chat windows, and the user may chat with another individual (oruser) after selecting a specific chat window. Additionally, the user mayperform operations enabling the selected chat window to be displayed inthe main display layer 210.

The sub display layer 214 located at the bottom-side of the main displaylayer 210 displays information associated with contents being displayedin the main display layer 210. According to the embodiment shown in FIG.2 b, this sub display layer 214 displays player information on theplayer who is being displayed on the main display layer 210.

FIG. 3 a to FIG. 3 c respectively illustrate other exemplary screenseach having multiple display layers displayed thereto.

Referring to FIG. 3 a to FIG. 3 c, the main display layer 310 displaysphoto files. The user may select a specific file among the photo filesbeing displayed on the main display layer 210. Then, the user mayenlarge the selected file and view the enlarged file.

A sub display layer 311 displays a menu. While viewing the main displaylayer, the user may manipulate the menu of this sub display layer 311,so as to allow a wanted (or desired) operation to be performed in theelectronic device 100.

Another sub display layer 312 displays a broadcast program, and yetanother sub display layer 313 displays a chat window. Furthermore, yetanother sub display layer 314 displays a plurality of folders.

FIG. 4 illustrates process steps of an interface method moving (orre-positioning) a main display layer according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the display 150 displays multi display layers(S400). Herein, the multi display layers may be displayed in analignment of a main display layer and a plurality of sub display layers,as shown in FIG. 2 a to FIG. 3 c.

The controller 190 detects an object-down event at a first positionwithin the main display layer (S410).

The controller 190 detects an object-dragging event at a second positionwithin the main display layer (S420).

The controller 190 controls the electronic device 100 so that the maindisplay layer can be moved, thereby controlling the electronic device100 so that the corresponding sub display layer can be pulled (S430).Herein, the main display layer is displayed so as to be moved inaccordance with the movement of the object. More specifically, thecontroller 190 moves the main display layer so that a pixel beingdisplayed at a first position of the main display layer can be moved toa second position. Then, the corresponding sub display layer isdisplayed so as to be pulled in accordance with the movement of the maindisplay layer. Furthermore, the corresponding sub display layer maycorrespond to the sub display layer located in a direction opposite tothat of the movement of the main display layer.

Thereafter, the controller 190 detects an object-up event at a thirdposition within the main display layer (S440). Herein, the object-upevent may be detected from the same position as that of theobject-dragging event.

Finally, the controller 190 stops the movement of the main display layerin response to detecting the object-up event (S450). More specifically,the controller 190 moves the main display layer so that the pixel beingdisplayed at a second position of the main display layer can be moved toa third position. Then, the movement of the main display layer isstopped. Furthermore, the sub display layer that is pulled in accordancewith the movement of the main display layer is displayed in its pulledstate.

FIG. 5 a to FIG. 5 c respectively illustrate exemplary screens showingthe process steps of the interface method moving (or re-positioning) themain display layer according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5 a to FIG. 5 c, the controller 190 detects anobject-down event at a first position 511 within the main display layer510. Then, the object 501 moves from the first position 511 to a secondposition 512. At this point, the object 501 may move while being incontact with the touch screen display 500, and the object 501 may movewhile the parameter between the object and the touch screen displayexceeds a predetermined threshold value. Thereafter, when the controller190 detects an object-dragging event at the second position 512, thecontroller 190 moves the main display layer 510 along a direction of themovement from the first position 511 to the second position 512. Thus,the sub display layer 520 is pulled in accordance with the movement ofthe main display layer 510. More specifically, as one side 521 of thesub display layer 520 is fixed, and as another side 522 of the subdisplay layer 520 moves in accordance with the movement of the maindisplay layer 510, the sub display layer 520 is displayed so as toappear to be pulled.

When the object 501 moves to a third position 513, and when the object501 moves away from the touch screen display 500 or when the parameterbecomes smaller than the predetermined threshold value, the controller190 detects an object-up event at the third position 513. When theobject-up event is detected, the controller 190 moves the main displaylayer 510 in a direction of movement from the second position 512 to thethird position 513. Thereafter, the sub display layer 520 is pulled inaccordance with the movement of the main display layer 510.

FIG. 6 illustrates process steps of an interface method shifting asub-display layer to a main display layer according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, the display 150 displays multi display layers(S600). Herein, the multi display layers may be displayed in analignment of a main display layer and a plurality of sub display layers,as shown in FIG. 2 a to FIG. 3 c.

The controller 190 detects an object-down event at a first positionwithin a sub display layer (S610).

The controller 190 detects an object-up event at a second positionwithin the main display layer (S620).

The controller 190 changes the sub display layer located at a firstposition with the main display layer (S630). More specifically, the subdisplay layer located at the first position is moved to the position ofthe main display layer, thereby becoming the main display layer.Similarly, the main display layer is moved to the position of the subdisplay layer located at the first position, thereby becoming the subdisplay layer.

FIG. 7 a to FIG. 7 c respectively illustrate exemplary screens showingthe process steps of the interface method shifting the sub-display layerto the main display layer according to the embodiment of the presentinvention.

Referring to FIG. 7 a to FIG. 7 c, the controller 190 detects anobject-down event at a first position 721 within the sub display layer720. Then, the object 701 moves from the first position 721 to a secondposition 711. At this point, the object 701 may move while being incontact with the touch screen display 700, and the object 701 may movewhile the parameter between the object and the touch screen displayexceeds a predetermined threshold value. Thereafter, the controller 190detects an object-up event at the second position 711 within the maindisplay layer 710. When the object-down event is detected at the firstposition 721, and when the object-up event is detected at the secondposition 711, the controller 190 changes the positions of the subdisplay layer 720 and the main display layer 710. Accordingly, the subdisplay layer 720 becomes the main display layer.

FIG. 8 illustrates process steps of an interface method shifting a maindisplay layer to a sub-display layer according to an embodiment of thepresent invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, the display 150 displays multi display layers(S800). Herein, the multi display layers may be displayed in analignment of a main display layer and a plurality of sub display layers,as shown in FIG. 2 a to FIG. 3 c.

The controller 190 detects an object-down event at a first positionwithin the main display layer (S810).

The controller 190 detects an object-up event at a second positionwithin a sub display layer (S820).

The controller 190 calculates a difference value between the detectiontime of the object-down event and the detection time of the object-upevent (S830).

The controller 190 verifies whether or not the calculated differencevalue is smaller than or equal to a time value predetermined in advance(S840). Herein, the time value predetermined in advance may correspondto a delay time during which the object-dragging event is detected whilea dynamic gesture is being performed. Alternatively, the time valuepredetermined in advance may correspond to a specific time decided inaccordance with the user's settings, or the time value predetermined inadvance may correspond to a time decided by default during the design ofthe program.

When the calculated difference value is smaller than or equal to thetime predetermined in advance, the controller 190 changes the maindisplay layer and the sub display layer (S850). More specifically, themain display layer is moved to the position of the sub display layerlocated at the second position, thereby becoming the sub display layer.Similarly, the sub display layer located at the second position is movedto the position of the main display layer, thereby becoming the maindisplay layer.

FIG. 9 a to FIG. 9 c respectively illustrate exemplary screens showingthe process steps of the interface method shifting the main displaylayer to the sub-display layer according to the embodiment of thepresent invention.

Referring to FIG. 9 a to FIG. 9 c, the controller 190 detects anobject-down event at a first position 911 within the main display layer910. Then, the object 901 moves from the first position 911 to a secondposition 921. At this point, the object 901 may move while being incontact with the touch screen display 900, and the object 901 may movewhile the parameter between the object and the touch screen displayexceeds a predetermined threshold value. Thereafter, the controller 190detects an object-up event at the second position 921 within the subdisplay layer 920.

When the object-up event is detected, the controller 190 calculates adifference value between the time of occurrence of the object-down eventat the first position 911 and the time of occurrence of the object-upevent at the second position 921. Thereafter, when the calculateddifference value is smaller than or equal to a time value predeterminedin advance, the controller 190 changes the main display layer 910 andthe sub display layer 920, as shown in FIG. 9 c. Accordingly, the subdisplay layer 920 becomes the main display layer.

FIG. 10 illustrates process steps of an interface method moving (orre-positioning) a graphic user interface (GUI) object between displaylayers according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 10, the display 150 displays multi display layers(S1000). Herein, the multi display layers may be displayed in analignment of a main display layer and a plurality of sub display layers,as shown in FIG. 2 a to FIG. 3 c.

The controller 190 detects an object-down event at a first position onthe touch screen display (S1010).

Then, the controller 190 verifies whether or not a GUI object isdisplayed on the first position (S1020).

when the GUI object is displayed, the controller 190 detects anobject-up event at a second position on the touch screen display(S1030).

The controller 190 determines whether or not the display layer of thefirst position and the display layer of the second position aredifferent from one another (S1040).

When the display layer of the first position and the display layer ofthe second position are different from one another, the controller 190moves the GUI object to a display layer located in the second positionand performs operations associated with the movement of the displaylayer (S1050). When the moved GUI object is associated with a specificcontent (or file), the specific content may be displayed on the displaylayer that has been moved. And, the corresponding content may be copiedto a folder corresponding to the moved position. Furthermore, thespecific content may be transmitted to a device or a device having anaddress corresponding to the moved position.

FIG. 11 a to FIG. 11 c respectively illustrate exemplary screens showingthe process steps of the interface method moving (or re-positioning) agraphic user interface (GUI) object between display layers according tothe embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 11 a to FIG. 11 c, the controller 190 detects anobject-down event at the first position 1111 within the main displaylayer 1110. The controller 190 verifies whether or not a display objectis positioned at the first position 1111. The presence of the displayobject 1113 may be verified from the screen shown in FIG. 11 a. Herein,the display object may correspond to a GUI object, a file object, afolder object, a picture, a channel image thumbnail screen, and so on.

In accordance with the movement of the object 1101, the display object1110 is dragged, as shown in FIG. 11 b. Herein, the controller 190detects the object-dragging event in accordance with the movement of theobject 1101.

The controller 190 detects the object-up event at the second position1121 within the sub display layer 1120.

When the object-up event is detected, the controller 190 positions themoved object 1113 to the second position 1121 within the sub displaylayer 1120 and stops the movement.

As described above, the electronic device including a touch screendisplay, the interface method using the same, and the computer-readablestorage medium storing the same according to the present invention havebeen described in detail. The present invention may be implemented as acode in the computer-readable storage medium, wherein the code can beread by the computer. The computer-readable storage medium includes alltypes of recording devices that are configured to store data that can beread by a computer device. Examples of the computer-readable storagemedia may include a ROM, a RAM, a CD-ROM, an electro-magnetic tape, afloppy disk, an optical data storage device, and so on. Furthermore, thecomputer-readable storage medium may also include storage media that carrealized in the form of carrier waves (e.g., transmission via theInternet). Finally, the computer-readable storage medium may bedispersed to multiple computer device interconnected via network,thereby being capable of storing and executing computer-readable codesby using a dispersion method.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made in the present inventionwithout departing from the spirit or scope of the inventions. Thus, itis intended that the present invention covers the modifications andvariations of this invention provided they come within the scope of theappended claims and their equivalents.

1. An interface method for controlling a display of a plurality layersin a device, comprising: displaying, on a touch screen display of thedevice, a main display layer and at least one sub display layer, whereinthe main display layer is positioned at a center area of the touchscreen display, and wherein the at least one sub display layer ispositioned at a side of the main display layer; detecting an object-downevent at a first position within the main display layer; detecting anobject-dragging event at a second position within the main displaylayer; and moving the main display layer along a movement direction fromthe first position to the second position, wherein at least one of theat least one sub display layer is displayed to be pulled to the movementdirection in accordance with the movement of the main display layer. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein the pulled sub display layer correspondsto a sub display layer positioned in a direction opposite to themovement direction of the main display layer.
 3. The method of claim 1,further comprising: detecting an object-up event at a third positionwithin the main display layer; and terminating the movement of the maindisplay layer in response to detecting the object-up event.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the at least one sub display layer isdisplayed so that the main display layer appears to be positioned at adeeper end of the touch screen display.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein the at least one sub display layer is displayed so that a widthof the at least one sub display layer is decreased along a directionfacing into the main display layer.
 6. The method of claim 1, whereinthe at least one sub display layer is respectively positioned at anupper-side, a lower-side, a left-side, and a right-side of the maindisplay layer.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the at least onesub display layer displays a broadcast image of at least one channel. 8.The method of claim 1, wherein one of the at least one sub display layerdisplays information associated with contents being displayed on themain display layer.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the atleast one sub display layer displays a chat window.
 10. An interfacemethod for controlling a display of layers in a device, comprising:displaying, on a touch screen display of the device, a plurality oflayers including a main display layer and at least one sub displaylayer, wherein the main display layer is positioned at a center area ofthe touch screen display, and wherein the at least one sub display layeris positioned at a side of the main display layer; detecting anobject-down event at a first position of the touch screen display withina first layer of the plurality of layers; detecting an object-up eventat a second position of the touch screen display within a second layerof the plurality of layers; and changing a display state depending onlocations of the first and second positions, wherein the first layer isdifferent from the second layer.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein thechanging the display state includes: determining whether the object-downevent at the first location is on an object of the first layer; andmoving the object of the first layer to the second position of thesecond layer.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first layer is themain display layer and the second layer is the at least one sub displaylayer, and change a position of the sub display layer with a position ofthe main display layer.
 13. The method of claim 10, wherein the firstlayer is the at least one sub display layer and the second layer is themain display layer, and change a position of the sub display layer witha position of the main display layer.
 14. An electronic deviceincluding, comprising: a touch screen display configured to display amain display layer and at least one sub display layer, wherein the maindisplay layer is positioned at a center area of the touch screendisplay, and the at least one sub display layer is positioned at a sideof the main display layer; and a controller configured to detect anobject-down event at a first position within the main display layer, todetect an object-dragging event at a second position within the maindisplay layer, and to move the main display layer along a movementdirection from the first position to the second position, wherein atleast one of the at least one sub display layer is displayed to bepulled towards the movement direction in accordance with the movement ofthe main display layer.
 15. The electronic device of claim 14, whereinthe at least one sub display layer is displayed so that the main displaylayer appears to be positioned at a deeper end of the touch screendisplay.
 16. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the at least onesub display layer is displayed so that a width of the at least one subdisplay layer is decreased along a direction facing into the maindisplay layer.
 17. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the atleast one sub display layer is respectively positioned at an upper-side,a lower-side, a left-side, and a right-side of the main display layer.18. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein one of the at least onesub display layer displays a broadcast image of at least one channel.19. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein one of the at least onesub display layer displays information associated with contents beingdisplayed on the main display layer.
 20. The electronic device of claim14, wherein one of the at least one sub display layer displays a chatwindow.
 21. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the at least oneof the at least one sub display layer which is displayed to be pulledcorresponds to a sub display layer positioned in a direction opposite tothe movement direction of the main display layer.
 22. The electronicdevice of claim 14, wherein the controller detects an object-up event ata third position within the main display layer and terminates themovement of the main display layer in response to detecting theobject-up event.